San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been one of the best players in the league at his position since the team took him in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Iowa.
In his eight professional seasons, Kittle has made the Pro Bowl six times and has been selected to five All-Pro teams while catching 538 passes for 7,380 yards and 45 touchdowns and being one of the best run blockers in the NFL.
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Last year, Kittle appeared in 15 games and recorded 78 receptions (fifth-most among all tight ends) for 1,106 yards (third) and eight touchdowns (second). This performance earned him a massive four-year, $76.4 million extension this offseason, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league.
As the calendar turns to 2025, everyone is discussing where players rank among their peers at their positions, and Pro Football Focus is releasing their positional rankings.
On Thursday, PFF’s John Kosko dropped his rankings for tight ends ahead of the 2025 season, and Kittle topped the list as the best player at the position in the league.
“Kittle has been one of the best tight ends in the game for nearly a decade and was handsomely rewarded by the 49ers this offseason with a big contract extension,” Kosko wrote. “The NFL’s highest-graded tight end over the past two seasons (92.0), Kittle is the most complete player at his position in the NFL. He has earned an 84.7 PFF overall grade or better in seven straight seasons.”
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Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, Arizona’s Trey McBride, Baltimore’s Mark Andrews and Detroit’s Sam LaPorta rounded out Kosko’s top five. At this point, in all of their careers, it’s hard to argue that anyone tops Kittle, but if Bowers takes another leap after an incredible All-Pro rookie campaign in 2024 (112 receptions, 1,194 yards and five touchdowns), there could be questions heading into 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers George Kittle comes in at No. 1 in PFF’s 2025 tight end rankings
